Last



A. G. LEGGE Jan. 19, 1937.

LAST

' Filed Oct- 31, 1935 INVEN+E1R Patented Jan. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

In the manufacture of shoes, an accurately shaped and expensive wooden last is employed for lasting and securing together the shoe upper and insole. If the last is removed from the partially finished shoe. at this stage of shoe manufacture and theshoe passed. through the remainingmanufacturing operations, the shoe will not retain the shape imparted by the lasting operation. For this reason, the expensive last has been retained in the shoe during the period required for these remaining manufacturing operations, thus depriving the manufacturer of the use of the costly last for other lasting operations during this period.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a substitute last of low cost adapted to be inserted in a partially finished shoe to retain the shoe in its lasted form during manufacturing operations subsequent to the lasting operation, thus releasing the expensive wooden last for another lasting operation and greatly reducing the number of such lasts required for a given production schedule. The substitute last of the invention comprises a hollow fiber form shaped to conform a to the interior of a shoe and having a bottom inturned flange adapted to engage the shoe insole, opposite portions of the inturned flange being connected by a rigid brace. A narrow curved metal strip is held in engagement with the interior of the toe tip of the form immediately above the inturned flange. Preferably, the hollow fiber form is shaped to extend in the interior of the shoe from the tip of the toe over the instep and its rigidity is increased by a brace connecting opposite portions of the inturned flange at the instep.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing: in which,

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevational view of a partially finished shoe in which is positioned a substitute last embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the last;

Fig. 3 is a perspective detail view of a portion of the last shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view, partly broken away, of a modified form of last embodying the invention.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it isto be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the invention claimed herein beyond the requirements of the prior art.

In'Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing there is illustrated a partially finished shoe comprising an upper l0 and an insole H which have been shaped over a wooden last of conventional construction, not shown. The lower marginal edge I2 of the upper i0 is turned over the edge of the insole II and secured at its rear portion to the insole H by fasteners [3. The portion of the marginal edge I2 of the upper H at the toe portion of the shoe is secured to the insole I l by a line of stitching l4 which also passes through a welt l5.

At this stage in the manufacture of a shoe, the wooden last is removed and replaced by a last l6 embodying the invention which serves to maintain the lasted shape of the shoe as the latter is passed through the subsequent finishing operations. The last l6 comprises a hollow fiber form I! shaped to conform to the interior of the shoe and provided with opposite bottom inturned flanges l8 and I9 which merge at the toe end of the form. The instep portion 20 of the last I6 is reinforced by a brace 2| extending between the inturned flanges l8 and I9 and secured thereto by rivets 22. The last I6 is also reinforced by a brace 23 extending between the inturned flanges l8 and I9 intermediate the instep portion 20 and the toe end of the last. The brace 23 is secured to the inturned flanges I8 and N by rivets 24. A narrow curved metal strip 25 engages the interior of the toe tip of the last l6 immediately above the inturned flanges I8 and i9 and is held in position by a metal strut 26 secured at one end to the strip 25 by a rivet 2'! and secured at the other end to the form I! by a rivet 28.

Inasmuch as the form ll must be shaped to conform accurately to the interior of the shoe, it is subjected to heavy strain as it is inserted in a partially finished shoe. It has been found that the braces 2| and 23 and the strip 25 and strut 26 increase the strength and rigidity of the fiber form sufiiciently to resist such heavy strain and permit the repeated use of the form as a substitute for the usual wood last during shoe manufacturing operations subsequent to the lasting operation.

A modified construction of the last illustrated in Fig. 4 comprises a hollow fiber form l1 shaped to conform to the interior of a shoe and. having opposite bottom inturned flanges l8 and [9. A brace 23 extends between and is secured to the inturned flanges l8 and l 9 by rivets 24'. A narrow curved metal strut 25' fits against the interior of the toe tip of the form immediately above the inturned flanges l8 and I9 and is held in its position by a strut 26 secured at one end to the metal strip 25' by a rivet 21 and secured at its other end to the brace 23' by a rivet 28.

I claim:

1. A last substitute adapted to be placed in a partially finished shoe after the lasting operation to prevent change in shape of the shoe upper comprising a hollow fiber form shaped to conform substantially to the interior of the toe part of the shoe upper and having a bottom in- 'by said form for resisting displacement of said strip including a longitudinally extending strut connected at one end to said strip and connected at its other end to said form, and a brace extending across the bottom of said form and secured to opposite portions of said flange.

2. A last substitute adapted to be placed in a partially finished shoe after the lasting operation to prevent change in shape of the shoe upper comprising a hollow fiber form shaped to conform substantially to the interior of the toe and instep portion of a shoe and having a bottom inturned flange adapted to engage the insole of the shoe, a narrow curved metal strip adapted to engage the interior of the toe tip of the form immediately above said flange, means carried by said form for resisting displacement of said strip,

a brace extending across the bottom of said form and secured to opposite portions of said flange at the instep portion of the form, and a brace extending between and secured to 0pposite portions of said flange intermediate the instep and toe ends of the form. V

ALFRED G. LEGGE. 

